He leisurely added, “You can even treat cigarettes as a meal.”
“Pa-da!”
While they were talking, the door suddenly opened. As the home’s door slowly creaked open, Qi Juan’s heart was pounding, almost jumping into his throat.
A head with messy hair popped out, scanning the surroundings with a puzzled expression. “Hey, brat, why aren’t you coming in?”
“Why are you back at this time?” Qi Juan finally breathed a sigh of relief and explained to Yu Yue Sheng, “This is my aunt.”
Yu Yue Sheng: “I see.”
Qi Juan’s aunt walked out and said, “I can’t count on anyone to open the door for me when I come back? Where are your keys?” She slapped Qi Juan’s back with her hand, but her gaze fell on the person clutching their stomach and she said, “You didn’t eat properly, did you? Stomach Ache, huh? Serves you right, quickly go inside.” Then she noticed the other person and asked, “Who is this?”
“The keys were left in the classroom. This is our new homeroom teacher,” Qi Juan explained.
His aunt withdrew her hand, and a friendly smile appeared on her face. “Hello, Laoshi. Please come in and have a seat,” she said.
Yu Yue Sheng nodded.
Initially, he had thought of refusing, but then he reconsidered. After all, he had already made plans to talk with Qi Juan’s aunt on Friday. Why not just seize the opportunity and do it today instead of waiting for another day?
As Qi Juan’s aunt found a new pair of slippers for Yu Yue Sheng, she kept talking to Qi Juan, “So, this is your new homeroom teacher? So young and talented. He didn’t start teaching right after graduating, did he?”
Qi Juan, who had just turned on the lights, leaned closer to her and said, “He’s really amazing, and completed both a master’s and a doctoral degree together. Skipped grades. He’s only twenty-four.”
Qi Juan’s aunt was calculating in her mind, trying to figure out how old he would be if he completed his studies normally. Her eyes lit up even more. She patted Qi Juan’s shoulder and said, “You go inside and do your homework. I’ll chat with your Laoshi.”
“No way,” Qi Juan walked in, sat on the sofa, and casually grabbed a cushion, pressing it against his chest. “I have to keep an eye on you. What if you say bad things about me?”
“Well, that depends on whether you give me any reason to say bad things. Come on, Laoshi, have a seat,” Qi Juan’s aunt moved a chair for Yu Yue Sheng and patted Qi Juan, urging, “Go and boil some water, don’t just stand around here.”
“Auntie, you’re treating us differently,” Qi Juan drooped his head, placed the cushion back, and walked to the kitchen wearing his slippers.
He quickly connected the tap water, plugged in the electric kettle, washed two cups, and prepared tea leaves while waiting for the water to boil.
He also didn’t forget to perk up his ears and eavesdrop on the conversation between the two outside.
Qi Juan’s aunt thought there wasn’t much to offer as hospitality, so she opened a pack of melon seeds and poured them into a fruit plate on the table, offering them to Yu Yue Sheng, even though she didn’t eat any herself.
Seeing Yu Yue Sheng sitting there so formally, Auntie felt that if she didn’t say a few more words, they might have to endure an awkward silence for a long time.
She tried to find a topic and said, “Laoshi, I’ve been thinking about what you said last time. Ah… I really want to take care of Qi Juan too, but his parents are not here, and I’m busy at the factory every day. Sometimes, I have to stay overnight at the factory. With him not around, even if I want to take care of him, I can’t.”
Yu Yue Sheng asked her, “Have you ever taken him for a check-up since he often experiences stomach pains?”
Hearing this, Qi Juan accidentally touched the spout of the water kettle and got scalded by the rising hot steam.
He reflexively pulled his hand back and rinsed it under the tap. The fingertips turned visibly pink, and the thin sweat on his forehead glistened. After wiping his hand dry, Qi Juan leaned against the sink and squinted his eyes.
“Pa-da.”
The switch of the water kettle flicked, and the boiling water inside bubbled and steamed.
Her aunt worriedly said, “In our family, we often have issues with our digestive systems. A couple of years ago, I took Qi Juan to the hospital, and they diagnosed him with gastric ulcer. But he doesn’t listen, he’s a picky eater, and he dislikes taking medicine, saying it’s bitter.”
As she spoke, she dragged open a drawer under the coffee table and rummaged through it, only to find several medicine boxes opened and emptied.
Her aunt: “…”
Why did she feel her face hurting1face hurts means feeling embarrassed/ awkward/ humiliated????
She shouted towards the kitchen, “Qi Juan, come here right now!”
“He’s here.” Qi Juan had just finished brewing the tea when he heard the voice. He took the cups and walked over, placing them on the coffee table. “Laoshi, have some tea.” Seeing Yu Yue Sheng glancing at him, he quickly turned his face away and hurriedly sat back on the sofa.
Auntie, unusually serious, pointed at the drawer and said to Qi Juan, “I just bought these last week, and you treat them like snacks?!”
Qi Juan furrowed his brows, not daring to touch his stomach with his hand, and could only explain, “Weren’t they meant to be eaten?”
“…” Was this guy speaking normally?
Yu Yue Sheng picked up the cup and glanced at the floating tea leaves inside. The hot steam quickly rose, blurring his vision. He leisurely added, “You even treat cigarettes like a meal.”
Qi Juan exclaimed, “What the heck…”
“Smoking!” Auntie slapped Qi Juan’s arm and scolded, “Smoking! You’re still young and not behaving properly.”
“Stop hitting me, Auntie, it hurts.” Qi juan stood up and dodged, “Forget it, you two talk.”
Auntie’s hits were never too hard, and Qi Juan always pretended to beg for mercy, but this time, he felt his stomach contract painfully.
After closing the door behind him, Qi Juan leaned against the door and slowly slid down, pressing his fingers tightly against his upper abdomen, letting cold sweat drip down.
“Cough, cough.” Qi Juan pretended to cough and used a lighter to light the cigarette.
The voices outside became less distinct, and Qijuan discreetly left the door slightly ajar, estimating that Auntie probably didn’t expect him to eavesdrop.
Auntie glanced at the closed door of Qi Juan’s room and lowered her voice, “His father is no longer with us; he passed away from cancer. I didn’t want to mention it, but this kid really worries people.”
As she continued, Auntie’s voice became even lower, “…His mother is actually still here in the local area. She now has a new family and doesn’t have time for Qi Juan.”
Auntie thought Qi Juan didn’t know about this. Little did she know that Qi Juan had already seen them before—the happy family of three at the amusement park.
They looked harmonious, and he realized he wasn’t that important to them.
The cold wind coming from the window was chilly, and the light blue curtains were fluttering as if waves were crashing against the shore, drying up on the beach.
Qi Juan’s expression darkened as he curled his knees up and hugged himself. The cigarette smoke curled up, but his eyes remained dry, unable to shed any tears.
Auntie took a sip of tea and placed the cup back on the table. Helplessly, she said, “Actually, this child is quite sensible, and I also feel that it’s unfair to him. But in this world, many things don’t go as we wish.”
“What I’m most worried about is his health. I’m busy with work, and I’ve been neglecting his upbringing. I hope you, as his laoshi, can keep a closer eye on him. If he dares to be naughty, smoke, or fight again, just let me know, and it’s fine to give him a good scolding or even a light punishment.”
The voices outside became less distinct, and Qi Juan discreetly left the door slightly ajar, estimating that Auntie probably didn’t expect him to eavesdrop.
The person in black clothes stared at the rolling curtains and remained silent for a while before saying, “Maybe there is still some subconscious attachment to the way things were back then.”
“…During the National Day holiday, I think I will take him to the hospital for another thorough check-up.”
Listening to others talk about oneself, whether it’s good or bad, always feels a bit strange. Qijuan didn’t dare to listen anymore. He pressed the door tightly, leaning his back against it, and his hand holding the cigarette couldn’t stop shaking.
After taking a deep drag, he was choked by the thick smoke, his eyes stung, and the corners of his eyes turned red. He couldn’t help but cough.
He missed his father a bit, even though several years had passed, many memories still lingered in his mind, unable to be erased. When he tried to think about them, fear would engulf him, forcing him to push those jumbled thoughts away from his mind.
Smoking was still the answer, cigarettes were good.
Qijuan sniffed, and when he looked up, he noticed someone sitting beside him. The person wore a black cloak that trailed on the ground, and their hat covered their head firmly.
In a hoarse voice, Qijuan said, “You’re here.” When he spoke, he realized that his voice didn’t sound right at all.
The black-clothed person responded with a simple “Mm.”
Now, perhaps only the black-clothed person understands me the most. Qijuan subconsciously didn’t treat him as a stranger and couldn’t help but ask, “Does Yuesheng really have no memory of me?”
“…” The black-clothed person nodded.
Qijuan smiled bitterly, “His phone ringtone is the song I sang at the party before, you know? Or was it from the previous life? How do you explain that?”
The black-clothed person stared at the rolling curtains, remained silent for a moment, and said, “Perhaps there is still some subconscious recognition of the past in him.”
“I see.” Qi Juan held his stomach and smoked for a while, pondering how Yu Yue Sheng might view him.
When the cigarette burned out, he couldn’t help but take out another one and subconsciously offered the cigarette box to the person in black clothes, but they shook their head.
“I almost forgot, you seem to…” Qi Juan choked up, unable to determine whether the other person was a god or a ghost, so he chuckled self-deprecatingly and continued, “Never mind, I’ll smoke it myself.”
“Mmm.”
Qi Juan took a drag from his cigarette and suddenly asked, “Do you know, in the previous life, how Yu Yue Sheng’s life turned out… Did he get married and have children? Did he live to a ripe old age? Was he happy?”
The person in black clothes replied, “No.”
Even though the cigarette burned his fingers, Qi Juan seemed to have lost all sensation. His brain felt a bit deprived of oxygen, and his breathing slowed down significantly.
The person in black clothes continued, “He rejected all the arranged marriage prospects for him at home and spent the following years smoking and drinking excessively, which severely damaged his health.”
Qi Juan chuckled lightly, “How is that possible? Him smoking and drinking? I really can’t imagine that.”
Although he answered casually, his mind was already congested with various tangled thoughts, like stuffing cotton into a jar, pulling out one clump only to find new clusters forming, making it impossible to continue thinking clearly.
The person in black clothes continued, “After a few years, he encountered a knife-wielding robber on the street. He stepped forward to stop the robber. As a result, the girl being robbed was saved—”
“Ah, I’m sure that girl must have been deeply moved.” A smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of Qi Juan’s mouth.
His Yue Sheng, despite his cold demeanor, would still step up without hesitation when someone needed his help.
Afterward, he would still be stubborn, claiming that he hadn’t done anything.
Just like that day with the bread and medicine, it must have been Yue Sheng who brought them, but he insisted on telling others, including Qi Juan, that it was Old Yuan.
The person in black suddenly made a perplexed expression, “But he—”
Qi Juan nodded, “Yes.”
Encouraging the person in black to continue speaking.
The person in black said helplessly in a deep voice, “He didn’t.”
But he didn’t?
“Cough, cough, cough…” Qi Juan was choked by the smoke, and it felt like his blood had frozen, leaving his mind in a blank state as if struck by lightning. After a while, he finally spoke up and asked, “What do you mean?!”
He didn’t? Didn’t what? Earlier, you mentioned that the girl who was being robbed was saved, but he…?
Qi Juan couldn’t connect these thoughts together, and for some inexplicable reason, he was filled with a sense of horror, covered in cold sweat.
But he heard the person in black continue mercilessly, “At that time, Yue Sheng was injured in the carotid artery, a very long cut. When the ambulance arrived, his heart had already stopped beating.”
In his mind, the piercing sirens of an ambulance could be heard almost instantly, but the scene was engulfed and drowned in a flood of bright red, devouring everything.
Qi Juan scratched his nails on the floor tiles, grinding his blunt fingertips until they hurt. He dared not imagine such a scene. If he saw Yue Sheng lying in a pool of blood, gradually losing signs of life, he would definitely go insane.
If he were there, he would undoubtedly rush forward without hesitation, standing in front of Yue Sheng. He would endure any harm from the blade, as he couldn’t bear to let his Yue Sheng take such risks.
The first thing to react was his stomach, and Qi Juan couldn’t even muster any strength in his hands pressed against the ground.
He coughed many times, struggling to force broken sobs from his throat. Immediately after, his body slumped in desolation, and he braced his hand against the ground, spewing a mouthful of blood, which spread on the ceramic tiles like a scarlet flower.
Qi Juan closed his eyes in pain and trembled, saying, “Please, don’t say anymore. I don’t want to hear this.”
The person in black looked solemnly at the ground and changed the subject, “He didn’t live out his full life span and was reincarnated, but there were some mistakes made at that time. Everything that happened in his previous life is a blank slate to him.”
Does this mean Yue Sheng was also reincarnated?
Qi Juan pressed down on his stomach, his body leaning forward with one hand supporting him on the ground. Each syllable he uttered trembled, “Then, is it possible for him to remember?”
The person in black helplessly said, “I’m not sure for now.”
Qi Juan gasped for breath for a while and hoarsely asked, “Is there any way… to make him never remember? Never remember how annoying I was to him, never remember that he signed the surgery form in the end, never feel guilty because I don’t mind.”
The person in black hesitated for a moment and whispered something to him.
“Knock, knock, knock.” The sound of knocking on the door echoed.
“Qi Juan, is your stomach feeling better? Your teacher is about to leave,” Auntie’s voice came from outside.
“Much better.” Qi Juan was afraid she would see the blood on the ground, so he only opened the door slightly.
A strong smell of smoke rushed in, and Auntie waved her hand to disperse some of it, frowning, and said, “Why are you smoking again? Can’t you have a little memory?”
“I…”
“Open the door,”
“My dear aunt, can’t I quit smoking?” Qijuan replied.
With some force, the aunt pushed the door open and exclaimed, “What’s this?”
Qi Juan’s scalp tingled, and he slowly turned around to look. He felt relieved.
The bloodstains on the floor were already gone, perhaps the doing of the black-clothed person. Although it felt strange, when he considered that even life could be restarted, what couldn’t he do?
The aunt used her toe to kick away a few cigarette butts on the floor, then bent down to pick up the scattered cigarette box. She held it in her hand and counted, then said angrily, “Eight left! I’m confiscating them! Since you can still smoke, it seems your stomach doesn’t hurt anymore. Now, go see your Laoshi off.”
After Yu Yue Sheng put down the teacup, upon hearing this, he quickly stood up and politely said, “No need to trouble.”
Auntie quickly added, “No, no, no, Laoshi , please don’t be so polite. This kid never exercises, so take him for a run.” As she spoke, she hurriedly pushed Qi Juan out.
After closing the front door, Qi Juan stared at Yu Yue Sheng’s back, his footsteps becoming slower and slower.
In fact, he had many things he wanted to ask Yu Yue Sheng. Why didn’t he want to marry and have children? Weren’t you the one who disliked me smoking and drinking the most? Why did you start doing it too? In the end? Did you intervene to stop the attack? Silly Yu Sheng, stubborn Yu Sheng, does it hurt?
Qi Juan stuffed his hands into his pockets, pressing hard on his stomach, feeling like he was about to be in pain.
He had so much he wanted to say, but even Yu Yue Sheng himself didn’t know.
Qi Juan slowly walked downstairs and saw Yu Yue Sheng standing at the windy corner. The warm light from the street lamp fell on him, and his teacher’s eyes were clear, his face clean, without any extra expression on his untainted face. It would be so nice if he could stay like this forever.
Yu Yue Sheng said, “No need to walk me out.”
Qi Juan responded with a faint “Mm.” Under the sway of emotions, his stomach churned heavily, and he couldn’t help but hug himself and bend his waist slightly.
Yu Yue Sheng looked at him and said, “If you’re feeling unwell, go back upstairs quickly.”
Qi Juan shook his head and firmly pressed his upper abdomen, speaking hoarsely, “Can you stay with me for a while?”
After a moment of silence, Yu Yue Sheng turned off the engine.
Qi Juan sat down at the staircase landing and candidly said, “Laoshi, to be honest, I was a bit moved when you turned the car back, and also when you came back to find me in front of the biology building today.”
Sometimes, sometimes I feel like I have nothing, but as long as you accompany me, it feels like I can get through anything.
Qi Juan pressed his hand fiercely against his abdomen, not daring to breathe too heavily. His stomach was twisting and turning, and he clenched his silver teeth tightly.
“Qi Juan. Qi Juan.” Yu Yue Sheng gently patted him, realizing that he seemed to be in so much pain that he was almost unconscious, burying his head and pressing it against himself. “Relax your hand a bit.”
He heard him, he heard everything. But why is it that now, as long as Yu Yue Sheng shows a little more concern for him, he can’t hold himself together? Is the truth not that important after all?
If he could be in Yu Yue Sheng’s embrace, he would be willing to endure the pain even if it killed him.
“Take good care of your body and get better soon. Your aunt is really worried about you,” Yu Yue Sheng rubbed his hands together to warm them and gently placed them on Qi Juan’s abdomen, circling and massaging slowly.
“Cough, cough, cough…” Qi Juan’s upper abdomen spasmed, and he couldn’t help but stand up and struggle to vomit some stomach acid into the corner. He managed not to fall, thanks to Yu Yue Sheng’s support.
Yu Yue Sheng put his arm around Qi Juan’s shoulder and supported him, while using his other hand to massage his stomach. He felt that Qi Juan was in so much pain that he couldn’t even hug him properly, and asked with concern, “Do you need to go to the hospital?”
Qi Juan smiled, shook his head in silence.
There was a faint scent of laundry soap on Yu Yue Sheng, which reminded Qi Ju an of his beautiful summer daydreams—sunlight, blue sky, a rooftop caressed by a gentle breeze, and a shirt soaked in soapy water.
But as for myself, I only know how to smoke and drink, my grades are poor, and I’m not good at anything. How can I be worthy of standing by his side?
The teacher’s hands are really warm. Despite the cold and painful feeling in his stomach, when Yu Yue Sheng massages him, everything seems to ease.
That night, Qi Juan dreamt about many things, events from the previous life, both real and unreal, all jumbled together.
He was awakened by his aunt’s forceful knocking on the door. His aunt switched on the room’s light, standing at the doorway with her hands on her hips, asking Qi Juan to check the time now.
“It’s still early,” Qi Juan fished out his phone, glanced at the numbers on it, and instantly became much more awake. “Damn it! Why didn’t my alarm wake me up?”
He hurriedly flipped himself up, propped against the headboard, and hugged the blanket. He shook his head, suddenly feeling dizzy.
During high school, he had experienced too many mornings where the sunlight had yet to show itself. Even if he had another chance, Qi Juan still felt that getting up early was damn painful.
“The alarm has been ringing for quite a while, hurry up,” his aunt said with her mouth full of toothpaste while picking up Qijuan’s clothes from the shelf and throwing them onto the bed.
“Ah, it’s time for class again.” It hadn’t been three minutes since Qijuan woke up, and now he felt sleepy again, unable to keep his eyelids open.
“Ah, it’s time for class again.” Qi Juan hadn’t been awake for three minutes, and now he felt so sleepy that he couldn’t even open his eyelids.
With his eyes closed, he fumbled for his clothes and put them on. When he stood up and slid his little feet into slippers, he couldn’t help but yawn.
His legs were feeling weak too, and Qi Juan touched his forehead with the back of his hand; it was burning hot.
-
As he reached the entrance of the alley, the familiar morning dampness and dewy air greeted him. The air was particularly fresh at this time. However, before Qi Juan had walked a few steps, he encountered someone he didn’t want to see.
Chi Yin straddled his bicycle, with one long leg touching the ground. He honked the bike bell at Qi Juan and said loudly, “If you don’t come down soon, I’ll leave. You really can sleep, huh?”
As he spoke, he took a bite of the egg pancake he held in his hand, wrapped in a plastic bag.
Qi Juan admired this person; he could eat such greasy food early in the morning, but he couldn’t accept it himself. Qi Juan frowned, “Why did you come here?”
Chi Yin happily nibbled on the egg pancake, his small round face resembling a hamster when eating, chattering as he chewed, “Is it abnormal for me to come? Technically, I should have come yesterday. But when I saw your Laoshi dropping you off, I didn’t want to see him, so I left.”
Qi Juan: “……”
Good thing you didn’t come.
Chi Yin looked at Qi Juan with great interest and asked, “What? Do you like him?”
Yes, he does like him.
But Qi Juan replied with a dismissive “You’re overthinking,” and walked quickly ahead.
As they left the residential area, the number of pedestrians increased. People heading to work or school gathered on both sides of the traffic lights, anxiously waiting for the lights to change.
Chi Yin smiled as he thought about it, “That’s right, you like me.” He kicked his bike and caught up with Qi Juan, waiting for the traffic light together. “Qi Juan, have you eaten breakfast?”
Qi Juan replied, “Yes, I already ate.”
The traffic light changed, and the crowd started crossing the street on both sides.
“Tsk, I was planning to treat you to breakfast,” Chi Yin got off his bike and walked alongside Qi ajuan, pushing the bike on the sidewalk.
“Who would dare to eat when you’re treating?” Qi Juan retorted.
Looking at Qi Juan, who seemed like he hadn’t fully woken up yet, with a strand of hair sticking up on his forehead, Chi Yin quickly reached out and touched Qi Juan’s forehead. He clicked his tongue, “Oh, you really have a fever.”
Qi Juan quickly dodged, “Don’t touch me.”
A few people around glanced over, though they quickly averted their gazes.
Nevertheless, Qi Juan still glared at Chi Yin.
Chi Yin gloated, “I remember, you tend to get a fever when your stomach isn’t feeling well. Just as I thought… Wait a moment.” Chi Yin unzipped his backpack and handed Qi Juan some fever-reducing medicine, saying, “Here, it’s the one I got from your place last time.”
“Okay,” Qi Juan replied.
He took a quick glance at the medicine and stuffed it into his pocket.
Chi Yin tilted his head, “I spared you yesterday, but you better take it now.”
